.png)
I have a distinct memory of the first time I heard about a new virus known as the AIDS virus. Around the age of 8 or 9, while at the lake with my family, I recall someone talking about it. I don't remember exactly what was said or specifics, but I remember the feeling around the conversation. That feeling was fear and anger.
I'm sure I'm not the only child from the 80s who recalls that the first time they heard about this, they also received an enormous dose of misinformation. We've all lived through a recent pandemic with that outcome as well. But with the AIDS epidemic in particular, a specific group was targeted, shamed, and blamed. We all remember hearing it was a "gay" disease. Obviously, we now know that wasn't true. But America was one of the slowest to respond to this new threat because instead of investigating, many set out to label it and 'other' it out of fear.
Enter The Great Believers and the story of Yale Tishman and Fiona. This book is told in two time zones. The first being 1985 Chicago, where Yale is a successful art director and has found a community that he belongs to. However, as the AIDS crisis unfolds before him, Yale is thrown into the chaos of losing friends and fearing for himself. The other section of the story takes place in modern times and follows the life of Fiona. Fiona lost her brother Nico to the AIDS virus in the 80s and is now grappling with how her life has transformed due to living through that time surrounded by Nico and his friends, including Yale.
This book deals with a heavy subject and was therefore difficult to get through without taking breaks to cry. I loved how the story showed the epidemic from a previously unrepresented perspective during the actual crisis. Rebecca Makkai has done an excellent job with her story by displaying a world that was being neglected when it needed help the most. While it was challenging to get through the book, the content has stayed with me and given a new perspective on how awful HIV was when it first came out. It was heartbreaking to read about a community of loving people that essentially felt the world had turned its back on them.
I highly recommend this one!
